


Trapped

by Quacks



Series: When the devil needs saving [6]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Avengers Family, Blackmail, Childhood Trauma, Hurt Peter Parker, Hurt/Comfort, Identity Reveal, Mild Language, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Not Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, Not Spider-Man: Far From Home Compliant, Past Rape/Non-con, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker Whump, Protective Avengers, Protective Tony Stark, Rape/Non-con Elements, Suicidal Thoughts, eventually, no suicide attempt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-05-10
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:22:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24034237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quacks/pseuds/Quacks
Summary: These types of things only ever happen to Peter Parker. It’s all thanks to that damn Parker luck uncle Ben always told him about. There is no other logical explanation to reasonably justify why Peter has found himself in this situation. Especially not when one of the civilians he’s been tasked with saving, turns out to be none other than his childhood rapist. Skip Westcott.
Relationships: Peter Parker & Avengers Team, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: When the devil needs saving [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1721197
Comments: 114
Kudos: 713





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Stucky101](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stucky101/gifts).



> Oi, this took me longer to get out than I wanted. I just started a new term today and there were more pre-class assignments than I thought. Anyway, enough excuses...
> 
> This story is to fill two prompts: One from Stucky101 (being trapped in the building) and the other for cal (if I told you their prompt it would give the whole story away). 
> 
> I'm not completely sure how many chapters this story will have, but I can guarantee it will be more than one. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy! 
> 
> Please leave any comments or kudos - they really do make me super happy :)

Of fucking course. These types of things only ever happen to Peter Parker. It’s all thanks to that damn Parker luck uncle Ben always told him about. There is no other logical explanation to reasonably justify why Peter has found himself in this situation. 

You see, Peter was just doing his thing, saving his city from a fucking rhino mutant. To anyone else that might seem like the weird part, but honestly, it’s one of the more normal things to happen to Peter. It’s also normal for the Avengers to put him on civilian duty because they think he can’t handle himself - which is a whole other issue.

What isn’t normal, is when one of the civilians he’s been tasked with saving, turns out to be none other than his childhood rapist. Skip Westcott. 

_ ‘Come on Einstein, it’ll be fun!’ _ Peter hears echoing through his head as he stares at the familiar face in front of him. 

The pale blue eyes that are looking back at him make him feel nauseous. Peter feels his body moving, stumbling backwards towards the exit. His vision goes blurry, and all he can hear is the pounding of his own heart thudding in his ears. Tingles shoot down his spine as phantom touches from distant memories dance across his skin.

_ ‘Stay still or someone will catch us and they’ll see what a little slut you are, see how excited you are for me to touch you.’ _

It would be so easy to grab the other civilian, carry her to safety, and leave the man to be crushed by the soon-to-be collapsing building. Admittedly, Peter spent a shameful amount of time seriously contemplating that option. But in the end, his conscience won out, and Peter was climbing back through the window. 

Even though he knew he was going to see Skip again, it didn’t stop Peter’s stomach from twisting or his breath from catching in his throat. Despite his best efforts to act casually, Peter froze, unable to move his feet any closer to the man. His eyes are wide, making Peter that much more appreciative of his mask. Although, the “eyes” on the mask were probably reflecting his own. 

Neither male wanted to make the first move. Peter’s body refused to go any closer or offer any type of support, and Skip looked like a mixture between being frightened and star struck. The whole scene was a little comical as it stretched beyond a comfortable amount of time - not that there was ever a ‘comfortable’ period of time for staring wide-eyed and terrified at another person. Unfortunately, it seems the longer their staring contest lasts, the more reluctant each party gets to break the silence. 

Five minutes ago, Peter would have said that nothing could be worse than running into Skip again. It was horrible and he never wants it to happen again, but things got so much worse. 

With his attention focused solely on the man in front of him, and the constant ringing in his ears, Peter failed to see the countdown reach its end, or hear Karen’s voice advising him to move. He didn’t notice the increased dust falling from above or the ground rocking beneath his feet. Not until a warning tingle shot painfully through his entire body, snapping him out of his frozen state. The next few seconds passed slowly as Peter registered the crumbling building, leapt across the room in a single bound, and grabbed Skip, holding on tight as the floor caved in. 

Ever the optimist, Peter has to say that he and Skip got a little lucky. Unlike the last time Peter was trapped under a toppled building, there were no slabs of broken concrete pressing him into the ground. Somehow, miraculously, they had ended up in a small pocket between two walls, stopping each other from falling flat. There wasn’t much room, but it was enough so that Peter didn’t have to touch Skip. 

But like all things, any bit of good luck is always matched with twice as much bad luck. As far as Peter could tell, Skip doesn’t have any major injuries - just a few cuts and bruises and maybe a mild concussion. Peter, however, being the hero that he is, he took the blunt end of the fall, leaving him with the normal bloody nose, some broken ribs, and his left leg is currently facing the wrong way. 

To top it all off, the fall damaged his line of communication. They were officially trapped, and with the condition that Peter is currently in, they won’t be getting out on their own. 

“Holy Shit, Man.” Skip gasped as he took in Peter’s injuries. “Are you okay?”

Rolling his eyes, Peter focused on breathing through his nose in an attempt to clear his now fogged up brain. The desire to take off his mask is tempting, but there is no way Skip can find out he’s Spider-Man. It honestly couldn’t get worse than this. The pain has started to really set in, and it fucking hurts. “Oh yeah, just peachy.” He retorts, sarcasm dripping from his tone. “Breaking my leg is a normal occurrence. I just have to walk it off.” 

A small part of Peter feels bad for mocking the man’s stupid question, but right now it’s the only thing keeping him from screaming in pain. If he can focus all of his attention towards something else, then maybe he won’t start to panic about the fact that he can’t feel his toes. Right now, the only other thing that needs his immediate attention, is Skip - which really isn’t much better. Because the longer Peter thinks about Skip, the more memories start to make their way to the surface. 

It’s been years since Peter had truly thought about the man who raped him. About Skip. About the look in his eyes after he would shut the door as May and Ben left. The first time the sudden change of expression happened, Peter thought his babysitter was playing a game with him. Then the man had pulled out some pictures and magazines with naked men and women in all sorts of strange positions. Peter was 8. He had a vague sense of what the pictures were, but Skip would never admit that it was porn. Instead, the man would tell Peter that they were going to play a game where they had to try to look like the people in the picture. 

The first few rounds of the game, Skip let them leave their clothes on. After a while, he would take off a new article of clothing for each new round. Peter didn’t like it, but Skip was cool and Peter wanted to be cool like the teenager who would hang out with him. When the only thing Peter was still wearing was his underwear, he tried to tell Skip that he wanted to stop. His babysitter didn’t listen. Skip ripped off Peter’s underwear, refusing to give it back, holding Peter’s arms above his head when he tried to cover himself. 

For weeks, Skip would babysit Peter every Friday night, forcing the young boy to play his games. And every time, before May and Ben came home, Skip would remind Peter that if he told anyone, they would be mad at him. Peter never wanted to disappoint his aunt and uncle, so he kept his mouth shut - locking up the secret and throwing away the key. 

Now though, the key has resurfaced, eager to unlock the past for all to see. 

“Hello?” Skip questioned, pulling Peter from his thoughts. Judging by his tone, it was not the first time he’d tried to get Peter’s attention. “How are we going to get out of here?”

Glancing around the small space, Peter looks for anything that could signal to others that they are trapped, but there’s nothing. Of course there’s nothing. They are stuck under who knows how many feet of rubble, debris, and dirt. There is no getting out without someone else digging them out.

“I-I can’t..it’s..we just have to wait.” Peter finally stuttered, his thoughts feeling scattered. “The rest of the Avenger’s will notice I’m gone, and they’ll come looking. Hopefully Karen will be able to tell Mr. Stark my location.” 

“Well this sucks.” Skip huffs, crossing his arms. 

:You’re telling me.” Peter mumbled under his breath. Geez, Skip really thinks he’s a special brand of entitled. 

Sighing, Skip runs a hand over his face. “How long do you think it’ll take them?” 

“How the hell am I supposed to know?” Peter snaps. He really is trying to keep his cool, but Skip is making it really hard right now. 

“Yikes, it was just a question.” Skip holds his hands in front of himself in a surrender. 

“Ugh.” Peter groans, his head dropping back against the concrete slab he’s leaning on. He can’t afford to snap at people right now. He’s Spider-Man. Not Peter Parker. Letting go of his cool will only lead to bad things. “I didn’t mean to snap. Just don’t..please don’t talk to me right now.” 

It’s still not a very Spider-Man type thing to say - you know, with the whole looking out for the little guy thing. Skip is technically a part of the ‘little guy’, and no matter how much Peter Parker hates the man, he has a responsibility to help him. But Peter swears, if Skip says one more boneheaded thing, he’s going to lose it. Thankfully, Skip listens. 

With his thoughts bouncing between ‘ow’ and ‘don’t freak out because Skip keeps dragging his eyes over your body’, Peter was having a hard time keeping his breathing steady and his mind from having a panic attack. 

Peter’s not sure how long they sat there - time feeling both fast and slow. At first, he thought he was going crazy hearing things that weren’t really there. There was a dull banging with the occasional crash that caught his attention first. Then Peter heard a distinct “Kid!” calling from above and he knew everything was going to be okay. He’ll get out of here, let someone take a look at his leg, and never have to see Skip again. 

Bright lights illuminate the dark space as a chunk from above is moved out of the way. “They’re over here!” Steve called out over his shoulder. Looking back at the two males, the first thing Steve’s eyes landed on was Peter’s leg, before he turned his head back to the side. “Someone tell Dr. Cho to get the MedBay ready!” 

“Holy shit, kid!” Tony’s head popped next to Steve’s. “You can’t scare me like that! You know I have a bad heart!”

“I didn’t do it on purpose.” Peter grumbled. Everything was really starting to annoy him. Why haven’t the others helped them out yet? “Were you waiting for an invitation to get us out, or do you expect us to do it ourselves?” Tony and Steve glanced at each other, shocked that Peter would speak to them like that. They’ll have to worry about that later though, because the kid’s right - they need to move. 

Steve helped lift Skip out of the hole, handing him off to a SHIELD agent, before lowering himself next to Peter. He tried to be gentle as he cradled Peter in his arm, but every little twist or turn hurt so bad. Peter was biting his bottom lip to stop from crying out in pain, causing his lip to start bleeding. 

“I know, Pete. I’m sorry. I’m so so sorry. We’re almost done.” Steve tried to comfort as he carried Peter to the quin jet. 

“STOP SAYING THAT YOU’RE FUCKING SORRY!” Peter snapped, a few heads turning towards the commotion.

“Language!” Steve chastised at the same time Tony said, “Kid!”

“Oh, get off your high horses.” Peter said with an eye roll. “You both cuss all the time. You don’t get to lecture me about my language.” 

“Kid, I know that you’re hurt and in a lot of pain, but I swear if you don’t lose that attitude I’ll..” Tony started. 

Peter laughed, cutting off the man. “You’ll do what? Ground me? Tell May? Take away my lab privileges?” Peter scoffed. “In case you’ve forgotten, you’re not my dad or my guardian. You can’t do anything to me.” 

Tony was trying. Tony was really trying not to lose his cool with Peter, but the kid was pushing buttons. All of them. The things Peter is saying, isn’t just an ‘I’m in pain’ anger. There was more thought and feeling behind his words. And Tony would be lying if he said it didn’t hurt. He tried to walk away without acknowledging Peter’s outburst, but the kid just couldn’t let it go.

“What?” He taunted with a mock pout, and damn it, if Peter didn’t shut up right now Tony was sure to do something they’d both regret. “You’re not gonna yell at me or tell me to fuck off? You’re just gonna walk off because you’re the great Tony Stark who doesn’t give a shit about anyone else? Where’s the Tony Stark I saw growing up who never backed down from a fight? You can’t really tell me that you’ve grown out of that stage. People who are as arrogant and self righteous like you never change.”

“WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?” Tony finally yelled back. He took a second to be grateful that they made it to the jet before Peter crossed the line. This was not going to be pretty and he felt sorry for the other members of their team who had no choice but to listen as they flew back. Steve laid Peter down on the stretched, but the kid sat up, pushing off Bucky’s hand to keep him down. “I don’t know what the fuck your problem is, but you acting like this is not okay. But you don’t leave it at that, do you? No. You then decide to attack the one person who defended you when everyone thought you were too young to be an Avenger. So you know what, I’m done, Pete. I’m done with this conversation. I’m done with the attitude. And I am so far beyond done with you.”

The jet was silent as Tony waited for Peter’s retaliation. He expected the kid to flip out and for the screaming match to continue. But it never came. Peter, still wearing his mask, just stared at Tony. When the air in the cargo area became too suffocating, Tony went to sit in the cockpit with Natasha. That’s as far as he’s willing and able to get from the kid at the moment - after all, Peter is still seriously injured and even though they’re fighting, Tony still cares about the kid. 

While Tony sat in the cockpit, able to get away from the situation, Peter was still stuck in it. He doesn’t know why he freaked out, or why he said all those horrible things to Mr. Stark. For whatever reason, Peter just was so mad at his mentor, so he said the worst things he could think of. And now Mr. Stark is never going to forgive him, and he’ll probably take the suit again, and mother of all the loving fucking shitballs his leg is killing him. He just wishes the pain would knock him out already. The pain doesn’t do anything except increase the tears that he’s been blinking back. 

_ ‘I am so far beyond done with you.’ _ That’s what Mr. Stark said. He’s done with Peter. Does that mean the man doesn’t want to see him anymore? Of course that’s what it means. Peter fucked up so bad and Mr. Stark is going to kick out of his life, abandoning Peter like everyone else in his life has decided to do. 

It was only a matter of time, he figures. All good things come to an end, and those ends usually leave Peter with a ton of broken pieces and nothing to put it back together again. It happened with his parents, with Skip, with Ben. Soon it will be Mr. Stark, and then the only other person that leaves Peter with is May. It won’t be long until she’s gone too. And when May’s gone, well, maybe it would be better if Peter was gone too. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my goodness, the response I've gotten just from the first chapter has been so encouraging and amazing! Thank you everyone for reading and for your comments! 
> 
> Enjoy chapter 2! 
> 
> My goal for chapter 3 is to have it out either Friday or Saturday, so I apologize for the slightly extended wait. 
> 
> Please leave a comment or kudos! :)

Dr. Cho is a saint who gave Peter the enhanced pain meds, which finally let him escape this nightmare. She promised that by the time Peter woke up he’d be good as new, minus the two weeks he’d need to stay off of his leg. Two weeks stuck in bed, in the MedBay, with Mr. Stark who hates him. Joyful. Thankfully, the meds kicked in before Peter could spiral in his thoughts. 

With the kid out for the next few hours, Tony took the time to cool off, trying to think of any reason that would explain Peter’s unfiltered anger. No one had ever heard the kid talk like that. It was so bizarre and unexpected and they had no idea how to handle it. Tony only hopes Peter wakes up in a better mood, otherwise this is going to be a long summer. 

The next thought hit Tony like a freight train, and he really started to question his status as a genius. Call May. Duh. He has to call the woman anyway to tell her about Peter’s injuries and assure her that her nephew is going to be fine. Why not ask her about his behavior and get any tips from her. 

So that’s what he did. Pulling out his phone, Tony started pacing around the lab. Why is he so nervous? The line rang twice before May’s rushed and worried voice came on the line. “Tony? What happened? Is he okay? I saw the news and they said a building fell on him? Again?”

Wait. Again? As in, a building has fallen on Peter before? Tony let out a quiet squeak at that thought. “Tony? Please, I need you to say something, otherwise I’m going to assume the worst and please please don’t let him be…”

“What? No. No no no.” Tony reassured her before she could worry anymore. “Sorry, I uh..You said again? Like a building has fallen on him, before?”

“Oh, thank heavens.” May sighed. “Yes, again. I thought you knew about the first time? With the Vulture guy?”

“Fuck. No, I didn’t know about that.” Tony fell into the closest chair, and he swears he can feel the hairs on his head turning grey.

“So…” May prompted. “How is he?”

Right. Peter. “It’s nothing the kid won’t walk away from. His left leg took the most damage with several breaks, and his hip was dislocated. Dr. Cho says he’ll have to stay off the leg for a couple weeks, but other than that he’ll be fine.” Tony explained. 

“Okay. I can deal with that. At least he wasn’t bleeding out and almost dead, right?” She said almost hysterically. 

“May, he’s okay. We’re taking really good care of him, and you are always welcome to come visit.” Tony replied. 

The line was quiet while May processed the update and Tony built up the courage to ask her about the other thing. Once the silence got to be uncomfortable, Tony finally spoke up. “There’s something else…” He started timidly. 

“Another injury?” May asked, her voice going up in pitch. 

“No.” Tony got up from the chair, resuming his pacing. “I just need advice. It might be nothing, and I could be over thinking things, but you’ve dealt with this more than me and I don’t know what to do.”

May chuckled at Tony’s rambling before stopping him. “Tony, when it comes to Peter, I’m sure you’ll be fine.” 

“I know.” Tony exhaled. Here we go. “When we found Peter, he kind of had an attitude, and not like a ‘this is kind of cute and funny’ attitude. He was cussing us out and at first I thought he was just in pain so he was snapping at us because of that. But then he started saying some really harsh things and it was like he was taunting me, trying to push every button he could think of. I don’t know how to handle this, and I could really use some advice.”

“Hmm.” May mused. That doesn’t sound like her nephew at all, and that is really worrying. “I don’t know what to say, Tony. You and I both know that Peter isn’t one to just freak out for no reason. I think you need to talk to him when he wakes up, or I can, but I think it needs to be you. You’re the one he got mad at.”

“But what if I just mess it up even more?” Tony whispered, feeling vulnerable. 

“Tony, I don’t think you could ever mess up when it comes to Peter. He looks up to you so much and I think sometimes he sees you as a father figure. Don’t let the attitude scare you.” May comforted, sounding so sincere in her belief of Tony’s abilities to solve this. “But Tony, if you or Peter decide that you need some time away from each other, I’m still here and he can come back to the apartment for a few days. I’m not saying he should, but the offer is there.”

“Thanks, May.” 

“Anytime. I’m just a phone call away for both you and Peter. Don’t hesitate to call or text if you have any more questions or concerns.” May promised before hanging up. 

Tony isn’t looking forward to it, but with May’s encouraging words, he isn’t as worried about talking to Peter. Walking away from the lab, Tony decided to take a shower before going to sit by Peter’s side while he waited for the kid to wake up. He can do this. He’s faced terrorists and aliens and Nick Fury. Dealing with a moody teenager should be a walk in the park. 

  
  


* * *

  
  


Peter wishes he could sleep for the rest of forever because they way Mr. Stark is looking at him is scary and intimidating and fuck he messed up. Unfortunately, his body and brain have not synced up, because while his brain is screaming at him to stand down, his body is willing to go down without a fight. 

Which is where he finds himself now, sitting up - as much as his healing ribs allow - in his bed, glaring at an angry looking Mr. Stark, telling the man to fuck off. “I don’t need you to babysit me, Mr. Stark. And I don’t need you to lecture me about my attitude.”

“Well, you’re right. I don’t need to lecture you about your attitude, because you already know that it is unacceptable.” Tony was proud that he kept his voice level. Maybe Pepper was right, he has changed. “So talk to me kid, what’s got you so grumpy?”

That’s the thing though. Peter doesn’t know why he’s angry or why he feels the need to defend himself. There’s also the quickly rising guilt that is filling Peter, and he doesn’t want to face it right now. So he doesn’t. Peter crosses his arms, deciding to stay quiet. 

“Seriously? You’re gonna give me the silent treatment?” Tony questions exasperated. What the hell is the kid’s problem? “Pete, I am trying here. Give me something I can work with. Come on.” 

Shaking his head, Peter lays back on his pillow, turning to face away from Tony. “Fine. I’m going to the lab.” Tony mutters, accidentally kicking his chair back harder than necessary, knocking it over. He sets the chair back up, leaving Peter to be angry in peace. He’ll try again later. 

  
  


* * *

  
  


Later came, and later went, with the same results every single time for the next two weeks. Not even May could snap the kid out of it. Each time ended in one of two ways - yelling or silence. Tony isn’t sure which is worse. 

Dr.Cho cleared Peter to leave the MedBay after 10 days, when his scans came back with no trace of injury. She still wanted the kid to stay off of his leg for a few more days unless he was walking from his bedroom to the living room or bathroom, but only for small distances. Peter spent those days in his room, only coming out to eat meals with the team, but never engaging in conversation. 

Everyone is worried now. At first they thought it was a one time thing, but it’s been two weeks since the building incident and Peter is still moody. Even Natasha started openly showing her concern. They had all watched the footage from Peter’s suit during the fight to see if they could pinpoint anything that had set the kid off, but there wasn’t anything strange. 

Tony is desperate at this point, willing to do anything so long as the kid will just talk to him. Pepper, the literal Goddess, suggested Tony invite Peter to visit the R&D labs at SI. Peter had been asking Tony for a tour for the longest time so this is perfect! Maybe if they start off talking about something else, Peter will be more willing to open up. 

“Morning, Pete!” Tony said cheerily as he walked into the kitchen the next morning. He ignored Peter’s eye roll, not letting anything dim his mood. “So, I was thinking…”

Peter groaned, cutting Tony off. “No offense, Mr. Stark, but I really do not want to talk to you.” 

“That’s fine.” Tony shrugged, filling up his coffee cup, his back facing the kid so he could hide his smile. “I was going to offer to show you around SI today, but if you’re busy…” He trailed off. 

“Wait, seriously?” Peter questioned. 

“Yep.” Tony replied, turning around. He couldn’t have stopped the smirk on his face if he tried. “I know you’ve been wanting to go for a while. I won’t even question you about the last couple weeks. Just you and me and science.” 

Quirking an eyebrow at Tony’s promise, Peter tried to think of any alternative reasoning, but he couldn’t find anything. Or if he did, his excited thoughts squashed them. Either way, Peter grinned, nodding his head vigorously. “Yes! When are we going?”

“As soon as you’re ready.” Told laughed, amused as he watched Peter start to shovel the rest of his breakfast in his mouth, not bothering to chew before swallowing. “Slow down, kid. The labs will still be there no matter when we get there.” 

Ten minutes later, Peter was rushing back into the kitchen freshly showered and dressed. “I’m ready!” He announced as Tony finished his second cup of coffee. 

Placing his mug in the sink, Tony nodded his head, making a show of leading them towards the elevator. “Let’s get to it then.” 

While the ride in the elevator was quiet, it wasn’t uncomfortable. Peter was bouncing with energy, and it made Tony smile to see how genuinely happy the kid seemed to be. “We need to stop by Pepper’s office first, she needs me to sign something or whatnot, and then we’ll get to the labs.” Tony explained when they started walking down a long hallway lined with doors. 

Tony walked them past Pepper’s secretary, waving her off when she informed him that there was someone else in his fiance’s office. He was about to open the door, when it swung open. Pepper jumped when she saw Tony, then smiled as she saw Peter standing a few steps behind. “Hey, perfect timing.” She said, pushing the door further open. “There’s someone I want you to meet. Tony, Peter, this is Steven Westcott, he is going to be partnering with Stark Industries on the new StarkProtection project.” 

Peter froze. This can’t be happening, please do not let this be happening. If Peter thought seeing Skip was bad before, seeing Skip while being Peter Parker and not Spider-Man, was so much worse. 

“Wait, you’re the guy who was stuck in the building with Spider-Man, right?” Tony asked, noticing him from the numerous times he’d watched Peter’s suit footage. 

“I am.” Skip said, reaching his hand out to shake Tony’s. “That’s actually what inspired me to apply here. We want to be able to provide a means of safety and comfort by designing a line of products which can be used to protect people in cases of natural disaster or attacks on the city.” 

“Wow.” Tony said, admittedly impressed. “I can’t wait to see where you take this. Welcome to Stark Industries Mr. Westcott.”

“Thank you.” Skip smiled. “And please, call me Skip.”

“Well, Skip, this is Peter, my intern.” Tony clapped a hand on Peter’s shoulder, pulling the boy closer. “While I usually keep him to myself, I know a project like this is something he’s interested in, so if you need some extra hands or minds, I’m sure Peter would be happy to assist. Right, Pete?” 

Is Mr. Stark trying to get rid of Peter? Is that why he is offering to lend Peter to Skip like he’s some kind of tool? And why is Skip here? Does he even remember Peter? He should probably answer, they’re all staring at him. What was the question? Fuck, he’s not breathing. 

Taking in a shaky breath, Peter tries to plaster a smile on his face, but it comes out as more of a grimace. “Um, yeah.” He says, hoping that was the right answer. Judging by the expressions on Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts are wearing, he’d say he succeeded. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Peter.” Skip says, reaching a hand out to shake Peter’s. Peter stares at the hand, not making a move to return the gesture. No way. Nope. Not shaking his childhood rapists hand. Nuh-uh. Skip slowly lowers his hand back down, his smile never faltering. “You can’t be more than, what? 16?”

“He’s 15.” Pepper answers when it’s obvious Peter isn’t going to.

“Even more impressive. I can’t wait to work with you more, Einstein.” Skip says, smirking when Peter’s head snaps up. So he does remember. 

Shaking his head, Peter turns on his heel, quickly walking back the way they came, desperate to get as far away from Skip as he possibly can. All of his thoughts of touring the labs were replaced by panic and fear. 

Before he can turn the corner, he hears Tony and Pepper both apologize for his behavior. “It’s quite alright. He’s probably just shy. Peter and I will have plenty of time to get to know each other.” Skip assures.

Peter’s barely in the elevator before tears slide down his cheeks. He wipes at them furiously, but the tears won’t stop. Sinking to the floor, Peter pulls his knees to his chest, biting his lip to stop the sobs threatening to escape. Memories of Skip’s painful touches and the greedy look in his eyes take over Peter’s mind. His breaths are shallow, never filling his lungs with enough air, and black spots blur in Peter’s vision. 

The doors open to the living room, and Peter can barely make out the shapes of several people sitting around on the couches. “Peter!” Hearing footsteps coming towards him, his first thought is that it’s Skip coming back to hurt him.

When the first hand lands on his knee, Peter jerks back, pushing himself further into the corner. “Peter, it’s Steve. You’re okay, kid.” 

“No, please.” Peter begs, his whole body shaking. “Leave me alone.” 

“We can’t leave you alone, Peter. Not when you’re like this.” Steve says softly. 

“Fine, then I’ll leave.” Forcing himself to stand, Peter pushes past everyone.

He makes it to his room, locking the door behind him, before he can’t hold back his sobs anymore. After changing into his comfiest hoodie and sweats, Peter climbs in his bed, pulling the blankets over his head. If he’s curled up in his blankets, nothing can hurt him. At least, that’s what he tells himself. 

Ignoring the knocks on his door from the others, Peter finally lets himself feel all the pain he’s been swallowing down since the building fell. The pain of seeing Skip again, of arguing with Mr. Stark, of feeling dirty and disgusting. He’s pushed everyone away, and if any of them found out about Skip, they would hate him.

But they won’t find out. Peter will just have to try harder to act normal around Skip. He’ll have to suck it up whenever Mr. Stark makes him work with the man. It’ll be fine.

Peter will be fine, because he doesn’t have a choice anymore. 

He has to be fine. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I love cliff hangers. But only when I'm the one writing them. Or when the entire story is out and I don't have to wait for forever. That's part of the reason I try to get my chapters out fast. I hate waiting, and I know y'all do too.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy this chapter! Y'all are amazing! Thanks for your comments, they brighten my day every time! 
> 
> Please leave a comment or kudos!

Tony is pissed. Tony is so fucking pissed that if it weren’t for the fact that he really cares for the kid and kind-of-sort-of thinks of Peter as his pseudo son (don’t tell anyone he thinks that), he would probably be kicking the kid out of his tower. He can ignore Peter’s moodiness when it comes to him and the team. He’s even let it slide the few times Peter has shown that attitude towards Pepper. But when the kid starts acting that way in front of business partners - especially ones that can really bring in a lot of money - that’s where he draws the line. 

After he gets the silent okay from Pepper, Tony excuses himself to follow Peter back to the penthouse. It takes every ounce of patience Tony has not to activate his suit when the elevator seems to take forever to get back to him. Thankfully it arrives before he can. Maybe he should invest in putting in a second elevator that can access the non-business floors, like the living areas. They currently only have one because it’s safer that way, but with FRIDAY running the lifts, it’s not like strangers can get to the upper levels. Adding a second elevator is a problem for another day, though. Right now, Tony has a crabby spider baby to yell at. 

Stepping into the living room, Tony is bombarded by his teammates all asking him questions at the same time. “Woah! Stop! I can’t hear when you’re all talking over each other.”

“It’s about Peter.” Steve states. 

“Is he hurt?” Tony asks, because if the kid is hurt then there are other problems to deal with first - like how the hell did he manage to get hurt in the three minutes it’s been since Tony last saw him.

“No, but…”

“Then it can wait.” Tony interrupts, moving to walk around the group. “I have a teenager to ground.” 

Clint steps in Tony’s way, holding his hands up in front of his chest. “Wait, Tony. I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Peter could possibly have cost Stark Industries an important deal, so I don’t really care whether or not it’s a good idea.” Tony gave Clint a challenging stare, daring the man to argue. 

“Tony we found him on the floor of the elevator in the middle of a panic attack.” Natasha explained. 

That is not what Tony wanted to hear. Maybe it wasn’t Peter’s temperamental angst that caused him to be so rude. Fuck. “Where is he?”

“He doesn’t want anyone to help him.” Ha! Like Tony is going to let his kid panic by himself.

“That’s not what I asked. Where is he?”

“In his room.” Nat sighed in resignation as Clint moved out of his way. 

Tony quickly headed towards Peter’s room. He walked in without knocking to find the kid wound up in his blankets, playing a game on his phone. Peter looked fine. Sure, there was a little redness to his eyes and maybe that sniffle he just did pointed towards the so-called ‘panic attack’ his team informed him of. But other than that, the kid looked completely normal and Tony was back to being pissed. 

“So not only were you completely a complete ass to Skip downstairs, you also decided to fake a panic attack so the team wouldn’t talk to you?” Tony accused, feeling a little satisfied when Peter jumped at the sound of his voice. 

“W-what?” Peter stuttered. Did the team tell Mr. Stark about the panic attack? Of course they did. No one in this tower knows how to mind their business. But why is the man accusing him of faking?

“Don’t act dumb. It’s not cute.” Tony scoffed. “Here’s the thing, Pete. This teenage temper tantrum that you’ve been throwing is getting out of hand. I tried giving you space, hoping that you’d figure it out on your own. Now you’re lying to your team and being disrespectful to business partners and I’m not gonna let you do that. I swear kid I am so close to sending you back to your aunt’s for the rest of summer. You need to either tell me what’s going on, or get over your attitude right now.”

“I never lied.” Peter defended, feeling both angry and hurt at his mentor thinking so little of him. While he told himself that everyone hates him, hearing Mr. Stark threatening to send him away was actual proof of that. 

“You told the team that you were having a panic attack!” Tony raised his voice despite trying not to. “You can’t tell me that wasn’t a lie when you’re playing games on your phone not even five minutes later.” 

“I never told them I was having a panic attack!” Peter shouted back. “They just assumed I was because they’re all fucking nosy!”

“Well then why do they all believe that you were having a panic attack?” Tony asked exasperated.

Because I was crying and hyperventilating and having a panic attack, Peter thought. But he couldn’t tell Mr. Stark that. The man would ask questions or worse, not believe him. Mr. Stark already thinks Peter’s a liar, he’d never believe anything Peter says to explain himself or his mood lately. How does he explain that the man Mr. Stark just introduced him to, is the same guy who raped Peter when he was 8, and that the reason Peter doesn’t look like he just had a panic attack is because he heard his mentor arrive in the penthouse, and forced himself to stop so he doesn’t seem pathetic or weak? 

Would Mr. Stark believe it if Peter told him about Skip? 

That’s a risk he’s not willing to take. If Mr. Stark doesn’t believe him, it would only give the man something else to hate Peter for. 

The anger that had built up in Peter left as quickly as it had come, leaving him fighting to gain control of his emotions. He is not going to break down in front of Mr. Stark. Sighing, Peter dropped his head, blinking back the familiar sting of tears in his eyes. “It doesn’t matter.” 

“Doesn’t matter?” Tony is so confused and completely at a loss for what to do. The kid was just yelling at him, and now Peter’s quiet and closing off. Did he say something wrong? Did he say something right, hitting the nail on the head, and Peter’s shutting down because he’s close? “Peter, why won’t you just talk to me? I’m tired of playing this guessing game.” He asked softly. 

Pulling his knees to his chest, Peter looks up at Mr. Stark. It’s all a matter of making them think he’s fine. If he can backtrack, do some damage control, and act like he isn’t scared that his childhood rapists is back to rape him again, then maybe, eventually, he’ll be fine. Fake it till you make it, right? “I’m sorry I’ve been so difficult lately. I can pack my things and go back to May’s tonight.”

“I...you...what?“ Did Peter just apologize? What the fuck is going on? Tony really wants to question everything until the kid just spills, but he did give Peter a choice and it seems he chose to fix his attitude. 

“I can leave my suit too, if you want that back.” Peter offers, swallowing down a wave a nausea that comes with that idea. 

“No!” Tony does not plan on taking the suit back. Ever. Not after May told him about the first building and how Peter was stuck under there without his suit because Tony had taken it. “I’m not taking your suit and I’m not sending you back to May’s.”

“Oh.” Peter breathes, relieved that the man still kind of wants him around. 

“But I am going to make you apologize to Skip for your behavior.” Tony adds. He doesn’t care if Peter doesn’t apologize to anyone else, but Skip will do a lot of good for the company and having Peter apologize could keep him from leaving. Not that Skip threatened to leave, but Tony won’t take any chances.

“Oh.” Peter repeats, silently begging the Gods that Skip won’t hurt him again. He knows he needs to apologize - to make Mr. Stark happy, not because he feels bad - and he knows that Mr. Stark will most likely make Peter work in the lab with Skip to make up for it. He might as well rip the band aid off now. “I’ll go do that.” 

Slowly getting off his bed, Peter tries to hide his shaking hands. He has to be okay. He can’t disappoint Mr. Stark more than he already has. Peter walks past the man, refusing to make eye contact, worried he’ll see the unshed tears pooled in his eyes. 

“Pepper is showing him around the labs. You can either ask FRIDAY where they are or wait in Pep’s office for them to get back.” Tony said as he watched Peter walk out the room. There’s this worried nagging in the back of his mind that is telling him to go with the kid, but Tony ignores it. He needs to talk to the kid about why they thought he was having a panic attack. 

Tony walks into the living room as the elevator doors shut. The team is still gathered, all of them staring at the closed doors. Steve sees him first, drawing everyone’s attention to Tony. “How is he?”

“I don’t know. We didn’t actually talk about that.” Tony sighs, slumping in the closest armchair. “When I walked in his room, he was playing on his phone. He didn’t look like he was having a panic attack. What made you all think that?”

“He was curled in a ball on the elevator floor sobbing and gasping for air. It looked the same as every other panic attack we’ve experienced with him.” Natasha answered. “I’m sure FRIDAY recorded it if you want to see it for yourself.”

Of course. Why didn’t he think of that. FRIDAY records everything. But, he doesn’t really want to see his kid having a panic attack. They’re always so heartbreaking. It’s just really weird why Peter looked fine. His attacks usually use a lot of energy and the kid is super snuggly after.

“Fuck.” Tony groans. “I told him I thought he was lying because he looked fine.”

“We told you what happened. We wouldn’t lie about that.” Bucky pointed out, sounding a little cross.

“I know, I just..it didn’t make sense and I wasn’t thinking.” Tony admitted, feeling ashamed that he lost his temper. Funny. Losing his temper while lecturing the kid about losing his temper. “I threatened to send him back to his aunts.” 

Several cries of outrage sounded at the same time, every one scolding Tony on saying that to Peter. 

“You know he was worried about being in the way while staying with us.” Natasha scoffed. “What made you think threatening to send him away is a good idea?” 

“I don’t know!” Tony was feeling frustrated with himself and he wished he could turn back time and undo the conversation he had with Peter. “I wasn’t thinking. I was just mad and I said stupid things. I didn’t mean to say something like that.”

The team, still rolling their eyes and glaring at him, seemed to accept that answer. Well, maybe not accept it, but at least they weren’t yelling at him anymore. 

“Where did he go?” Bucky asked after a few moments of silence. 

“I sent him down to apologize to the guy he was rude to.” Tony replied, pinching the bridge of his nose, his eyes closed, and head leaning against the back of the chair.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Peter should probably ask FRIDAY where Pepper and Skip are, but he wants to put off talking to Skip for as long as possible. So he’s waiting in Pepper’s office, nervously fidgeting with his fingers, and debating on whether or not he could pull off making an excuse for why he couldn’t work with Skip in the lab. 

The door opening to Pepper’s office, startled Peter out of his thoughts. He stood from the couch as the two adults walked into the room. 

“Peter!” Pepper said with a bright grin. It was full of warmth that Peter doesn’t deserve and he feels guilty for being such a burden. “What are you doing here?”

Shuffling his feet, Peter cautiously looks at Pepper. His eyes flicker to Skip for a second to see the same smirk on his face from earlier. “I came to apologize.” 

Pepper gave him a sad smile, and Peter just wanted her to pull him into a hug and tell him everything will be okay. If Mr. Stark is his father-figure, then Ms. Potts is his mother-figure - alongside May of course. “I’ll wait in the hallway.” She says before walking back out of the room, closing the door behind her. 

Apologizing while Pepper was in the room, while not ideal, would have been better than being alone with Skip again. The man crossed the room, stopping a foot away from Peter. “I’ll save you the trouble of stuttering out an apology we both know you wouldn’t mean. Instead I’ll tell you why I’m here. I know your secret, Spider-Man.”

Everything froze. Skip knowing Peter’s identity is not good. “H-how?” Peter whispered, his throat closing to stop anything else from escaping. 

“You were tapping your fingers on the back of your hand. You did it when you were younger and you were doing it in the rubble. I don’t think you realized you were doing it, but it was one of the reasons I would hold your wrists down. That, and you were always squirming. I’m curious, are you still as reluctant as you were then, or has Tony Stark whipped his boy toy into shape?”

Peter fell backward onto the couch when Skip moved closer. It didn’t stop the man who sat on Peter's lap, hands roaming over his chest. 

“No. Please.” Peter couldn’t move. He wanted to push Skip off. Maybe he would tell Pepper and she could make it go away. But the fear that she would think he was lying, just like Mr. Stark stopped him from doing that. 

“Ah, come on, Einstein. You used to love our games.” Skip’s hand traveled down Peter’s torso, gripping tightly onto his crotch. Peter let out a stifled whine, causing the older man to place a hand over his mouth. “Shh, gotta be quiet or else everyone will know how much of a slut you are. You wouldn’t want to disappoint them now, would you?”

Unable to shake his head because of Skip’s hand, Peter just stared at him, wide-eyed, terrified of what the man would do to him. “You’re gonna be my little toy now. And you can’t refuse because I know what a freak you really are. I don’t think you want the Daily Bugle to know who really wears the Queens vigilante’s mask.” 

Skip leaned in closer, taking in a big breath of Peter’s scent, before scooting off the boy. “I appreciate your apology, Peter. I look forward to working with you too.” He said, straightening his suit jacket. 

As Skip walked to the door, Peter quickly stood back up, wiping the tears from his cheeks. Pepper was talking to Happy a little ways down the hall. She smiled when she saw Skip and Peter headed towards her. “Did you get everything worked out?”

“We did.” Skip answered. “Peter agreed to work with me a few times during the week. I can’t wait to see what ideas his brilliant mind can come up with.” 

“That sounds wonderful!” She beamed. “There are just a few more forms for you to fill out, Mr. Westcott, and then you will officially be a Stark Industries employee.” 

Pepper led Skip back to her office while Peter was left with Happy. “You good, kid?” Happy asked, after Peter just stood there for a few seconds. 

Peter didn’t answer. He walked back to the elevators feeling numb. This is happening again. He’s going to be molested and raped again, and like last time, he can’t do anything about it. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not super happy with this chapter, but I wanted to get it out when I promised, so here you go. I apologize in advance if it sucks. 
> 
> But thanks for reading! 
> 
> Please leave a comment or kudos! They make me really happy :)

Skip is ruthless when it comes to when and where he will touch Peter. It’s been two weeks, and the man has raped Peter almost every day. 

Tony wanted Peter to really make up for being rude, so he made Peter work in the lab with Skip every week day. If only Tony knew what Skip was doing as part of Peter’s ‘making it up’ deal. Unfortunately, he doesn’t. And Unfortunately, Peter can’t tell him. Tony wouldn’t believe him, he made that clear. He doesn’t trust Peter.

It takes everything in Peter not to beg when Tony tells him he’ll be with Skip again, for the third week. “I thought this summer would be about training me, but I can’t train as much when you send me to the lab every day.” Peter hopes this excuse will get him out of the lab. It doesn’t. Mr. Stark just tells Peter “We can do more training after this week. Skip says he really needs you.”

He never thought he’d be asking to stay away from a lab. Skip has taken Peter’s safe place and turned it into a nightmare. And there is nowhere Peter can go to get away. Nothing consumes his entire thought process more than working on a project or fixing his suit. 

Training is difficult, because Peter recoils whenever someone touches him - which is all the time. They are training in hand to hand combat, what do you expect? If his team has started to notice, they haven’t said anything. 

And the book Peter has to read during his summer vacation is about an abused child, and it makes him physically ill when he reads it. There is nothing Peter can do to escape his new reality. 

During Peter’s first lab day, FRIDAY asked if he was okay because he was crying, and for a few seconds Peter thought he’d be saved, but Skip was not having it. He forced Peter to tell the A.I he was fine, and ask her to turn off the cameras. The first thing Peter had to do when he entered the lab from that moment on, was ask FRIDAY to stop recording. It killed him to turn off the last thing that could save him. 

May has been asking Peter to visit since the first week, but those few times he was away from Skip, he spent either in the shower, scrubbing his skin raw, or lying in bed, muffling the sobs that ripped through his chest. He knows he needs to visit his aunt soon. She’s getting worried, and Peter has a feeling if she starts asking questions, he won’t be able to stop himself from telling her. But not yet.

If one good thing has come out of all of this, it’s that Peter has stopped being so moody. Well, angry moody. And he tries to act normal around Mr. Stark and the team, but if he’s a little quieter than usual, nobody has to know. He doubts they even notice. They’re all too busy with their own things, and Peter is a superhero who should be able to take care of himself. 

Monday came too fast. Peter groans when his alarm goes off, covering his head with his pillow. Mr. Stark has been adamant about Peter waking up at a decent time to get to the lab. Even though it’s summer break, and he’s not even getting paid for this. Fuck Mr. Stark. Fuck Skip. Just fuck everyone. He’s not doing this today. 

Peter turns off his alarm, rolling over in bed to fall back asleep. He’s on the edge of drifting back into a peaceful slumber when Mr. Stark walks in his room. “Rise and Shine!” The man says way too happily for 8am. “Don’t forget you’re working with Skip again.”

“I’m not going today.” Peter mumbles, pulling his blanket over his head. 

“Oh, yes you are.” Tony grabs the ends of the blanket, yanking them off of Peter. 

“Hey!” Peter yells indignantly, trying to grab the blanket back. Mr. Stark just holds it higher, laughing. “Give me the blanket!”

“Nuh-uh. Not if you’re going to…” Tony trails off when his eyes land on Peter’s bruise covered bare chest. His eyes take in the marks littering Peter’s upper body. 

Seeing his mentor staring at him, Peter looks down, noticing the bruises from his last encounter with Skip. Usually these things would be healed by now, and Peter forgot that they were still there. Jumping out of bed, Peter grabs the closest shirt off the floor, pulling it over his head as fast as he can. 

He’d been careful to keep his bruises covered by wearing longer sleeves or jackets. Skip said he liked to see Peter covered in marks that he’d put there. He said it was like he was claiming Peter to be his. Of course the one time Peter decides to sleep without a shirt, Mr. Stark steals his blanket. 

“What happened? Where did you get those?” Tony asked, shocked to see his kid’s body covered in red scratches and purple bruises. “Is that a hickey?”

“What? No. It’s..no.” Peter scrambled to think of a valid excuse for the minor injuries. He can’t say it was from patrol - he knows Mr. Stark monitors everything, and even just accidentally bumping into something or someone sends the man an alert. 

“Peter?” Tony asked, trying to give his best ‘you better answer me right now’ dad voice. “Where did you get those?”

“It’s nothing, Mr. Stark. You don’t have to worry about it.” Peter tried to sound casual, but his voice betrayed him.

“Don't tell me it’s nothing.” Tony crossed his arms.

“Well then don’t ask me about it!” Peter snaps. He didn’t mean to get mad, but he really needs Mr. Stark to stop asking questions. 

Tony shakes his head, looking at Peter with a disappointing frown, before turning and walking out of the room. “You have twenty minutes until you need to be in the lab.”

Falling back onto his bed, tears slip past Peter’s eyes. He feels like he’s cracking and the dam is going to break any day now. Every look, every touch, every whispered taunt from Skip pushes him further and further. 

Peter slips out of bed, slowly moving to get ready. He changes, avoiding looking at himself in the mirror, and leaves his room. He skips breakfast, ignoring the morning greetings from his team, going straight to the elevator. 

Skip is already in the lab when Peter gets there. If the look on his face is anything to go off of, Peter just knows it’s going to be a bad day. “Where are the blueprints I asked you to print out for the shelter capsule prototype?” Skip demanded. 

“I..I didn’t know you wanted them. You never asked me for them.” Peter answered honestly. Skip never asked Peter for anything outside of getting him coffee, handing him tools, or giving files to Tony. He always said he didn’t trust Peter not to screw this up for him on purpose.

“You’re useless.” Skip seethed. “You need to learn that laziness won’t get you anywhere. Come here.” 

And Peter was right. Today is going to be a really bad day. Skip’s ‘lessons’ were painful and long. Walking to Skip, Peter kept his head bowed, not willing to make eye contact. When Skip could see the fear in his eyes, the man only seemed to be egged on by it. 

“Take them off.” Skip commanded, waving a finger at Peter’s clothes. “All of them.”

All of them? Skip has never had Peter take off all of his clothes, because it was easier to cover up what they were doing if someone came in. Which no one ever did. But he isn’t going to fight. He never fights. 

Peter does as he’s told, until he’s standing in the middle of the lab, shivering in the cold room. He stands still as Skip walks in a circle around him, making noises of satisfaction as he goes. When his spidey sense starts to tingle, Peter brushes it off like he’s done every other time. 

Except this isn’t like every other time. Skip grabbed the back of Peter’s head, partially dragging the boy across the room, throwing him against the wall head first. “Next time I ask you to do something, you do it.” He says as he kicks Peter’s stomach. “I am doing this company a lot of good because I wanted to be close to you. And this is how you repay me? By being lazy and selfish, and unappreciative of the nice way I make you feel?”

Every sentence comes with a new blow, and no matter how much Peter curls in on himself or pleads for Skip to stop, the man keeps attacking. “This is nothing compared to how much I am going to ruin you today. Once I’m through with you, you’ll be begging to go back to the old way. You ungrateful slut!”

Peter covers his head with his arms, praying for relief, but knowing it won’t come. Relief never comes. 

  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Tony watched as Peter left the living room, his eyes full of concern. The kid has been quiet ever since Tony got mad at him for his attitude. He can tell that Peter has been trying to act like he’s fine, but Tony can see right past his facade. He hasn’t said anything because he doesn’t want the kid to start freaking out again, but after seeing the bruises, Tony can’t stay quiet any longer. 

“Did anybody know about the bruises Peter has?” Tony asked the team once Peter was in the elevator. 

“What bruises?” Bucky asks. “Where did he get them?”

“I don’t know.” Tony admits. “I saw them this morning when I was getting him out of bed. He wouldn’t tell me about them.

“Could it have been from patrol? He’s not very careful when he goes out.” Sam asks around a mouthful of pancakes. 

“No. I get an alert when he gets hurt. Even if it’s something minor, and he hasn’t been on patrol since…” Tony tries to remember the last time Peter went out, but he can’t. Surely it wasn’t that long ago. Right? “FRIDAY, when was the last time the kid went on patrol?”

“It’s been 16 days since Mr. Parker has patrolled.” FRIDAY answered. 

“Shit. That’s a long time.” Clint comments.

“Why hasn’t he been going out?” Steve asks Tony. “Did you ground him?”

Shaking his head, Tony starts to get that worried feeling in his chest again. Something is going on with his kid and he has no idea what it is. 

“We’ll figure it out, Tony.” Natasha tries to comfort him, although he can tell she’s just as worried. Peter is her spider baby and if anything happens to him, she will fight tooth and nail to make it right. 

The rest of breakfast goes by silently with everyone thinking of any possible reason for Peter being injured. “Maybe it has something to do with his recent attitude?” Sam ponders aloud at one point. “I mean, none of us really ever questioned why Peter started to act out. Maybe his bruises have something to do with that?”

Sam’s question got them all thinking about that possibility. “When did he first start acting like that?” Bucky asks. 

“The first time he snapped at me was when Tony and I saved him after the building collapsed.” Steve pointed out. 

“Did something happen while he was trapped that set him off?” Bucky asked. 

“Maybe it started because we put him on civilian duty again.” Natasha suggested. “He wasn’t very happy when we did that, and since then he’s been moody.” 

“I don’t know, guys.” Tony sighed, tugging at the ends of his hair. Why won’t Peter just talk to them? What the hell is going on? 

“Would FRIDAY possibly know anything about what Peter’s been doing when we aren’t around?” Clint asked Tony. 

That is a genius idea! Wow, Tony is really losing it. He keeps making stupid decisions and saying stupid shit and just just over all be a stupid ass. FRIDAY watches everything. Of course she would know. 

Mentally cursing himself, and physically facepalming, Tony asks FRIDAY for any footage of Peter acting different. The amount of footage his A.I pulls up makes Tony’s stomach turn. He selects a random video which shows the kid sobbing in his room.

Nobody says anything as they watch video after video of Peter in various stages of distress, each one ending in the kid falling asleep or his quickly hiding his pain when someone enters his room. 

The one video that catches Tony’s attention the most is when Peter is walking back to the penthouse after Tony made him apologize to Skip. The kid is shaking, silent tears rolling down his cheeks, his eyes empty of all emotions. Tony’s not sure why that video sticks out the most, but he can’t shake the feeling that he is partially to blame for the kid looking like that. 

“FRIDAY, can you show me the footage of when Peter apologized to Skip?” Tony asks, halfway through the next video. 

Tony throws up. Tony physically vomits when he sees Skip sitting on Peter’s lap, whispering threats and blackmailing the kid. He vaguely registers Steve following an angry Bucky out of the room or Clint shatter the glass he was holding. 

“Fri, where is Peter?” Tony shakily asks, still trying to catch his breath. 

:”Mr. Parker and Mr. Westcott are currently in lab 47. I don’t have any video footage inside the lab because Mr. Parker has asked me to stop recording whenever he is in the room.” FRIDAY responds, sounding guilty. 

“Override!” Tony wheezes, not prepared for what he knows he’s going to see. 

Tony has been to jail before during his rebellious young adult stage. It wasn’t more than a few hours, but he swore he’d never go back. That’s what snapped him out of his drug use. For Peter though, Tony would happily go to jail if it means he gets to brutally murder the fucking son of a bitch who thought he could rape his kid - in his tower - and get away with it. What would be a worse way for Skip to go? Bleeding out after Tony cuts off his dick or… You know what, that doesn’t matter yet. He still has time to decide. 

His suit is around him before Tony knows he even activated it. While his mind feels ten steps behind, his body is moving on autopilot. Tony forgoes the elevator, crashing through the nearest window and down the side of the building. 

Damn it! He swore he would take care of the kid, but all he’s done is force Peter to spend time with his rapist and get mad when Peter acted out. Fuck. No wonder the kid didn’t come to him with this. Tony should have tried harder. He should have paid more attention to Peter. Tony never should have let it get this far. 

And now his kid is hurt and it is all his fault. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forgive me, I wrote at least half of this chapter while half asleep. I reread it and I still like it, so I didn't change it, but this chapter is the shortest and is shorter than what I prefer to write. It's only like, 1773 words instead of over 2000 and I feel really bad. 
> 
> Anyway, this is the end of this story. I have other prompts that people have asked me to explore, some of which are part of this series, others are not. 
> 
> Thank you everyone for reading! 
> 
> Please leave a comment or kudos! They make me really happy :)

Really though, Tony should have seen this coming. The question of whether or not he’s starting to lose his smarts has never been more present in his mind. 

Well, that’s a lie. 

It will, however, be a pressing issue to look into once he’s done pulling Bucky off of a bloodied and most likely half dead Skip. Not to save the fucker - Hell no - but to finish killing the man himself. 

Tony takes a brief second to glance over where Steve is helping Peter off of the glass covered floor, while wrapping a blanket around his shoulders. The kid is shivering, and naked, and Tony can make out the two hand print shaped bruises that are forming on Peter’s hips. His heart shatters at the sight, renewing his still boiling anger. 

“Mr. Stark?” Peter calls when Tony takes a step towards Skip. He looks back at the kid, tears welling in his eyes at the broken look on Peter’s face. “C-can I s-say something to him?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Pete.” Tony answers. This man has already caused his kid so much pain and trauma. Letting Peter talk to Skip only gives the older man another opportunity to hurt him. 

“Please. I need to say something to him.” Peter pleads. 

With a deep sigh and hesitant nod, Tony agrees - he’ll be right there if Skip tries to do anything. Bucky steps away from the man without any prompting, but still standing slightly between Peter and Skip. Peter doesn’t need Bucky to verbally tell him, to know that the soldier wasn’t going to move any further.

Careful not to get cut, Peter kneels to Skip’s eye level, looking the man straight in the eye. “Do you know how tempting it is to let them kill you?” The teen asks, eerily calm. “But I won’t.” 

Steve and Bucky both share Tony’s sentiment of dismay, all three of them starting to object to Peter's statement, only to be cut off when the kid raises a hand to stop them. “Because if I did, then you would win. You would get out of this without having to really face the consequences of raping me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saving your life to be nice. I’m saving your life because you living will be worse than death.” 

Tony is most definitely going to have Peter meet with the team psychiatrist when all of this is over, because the calm way in which the kid both saved and damned Skip is a little concerning. But he can’t say he doesn’t see the benefits (for them) of what Peter is threatening. It actually is a really smart move. Nobody likes child molesters more than prison inmates. Stories of child rapists being killed by other prisoners have stopped being reported because of how often it happens. 

“I still know your secret. You wouldn’t send me to jail.” Skip sneered. 

“Do you though? Because, I happen to know someone who can erase that bit of information from your mind.” Peter straightened himself back onto his feet, turning away from Skip without a second glance at the man. 

For all the confidence Peter showed Skip, it was surprising to see the fresh tears start to spill onto the kid’s cheeks as he walked back to Tony. “Mr. Stark, can we go?” 

He wants to argue. Tony wants to stay and toss Skip around while they wait for the cops to arrive. Steve can take Peter up. But the tiny trembling of Peter’s lip and the way the kid curled his shoulders in on himself, changed his mind. Wrapping an arm around Peter’s shoulder, Tony led the kid out of the lab. 

“Do you think Wanda would be willing to make Skip forget that I’m Spider-Man?” Peter whispered to Tony as they left the door. 

“I think Wanda would be willing to do a lot more to him.” Tony answered truthfully. “But yes, I’ll ask her.” 

They passed Natasha on their way out, followed by Sam and Clint. All three kept walking when Tony jerked his head toward the open lab door, signalling that that is where they are needed. 

Extremely grateful that the elevator was close enough to the lab, Tony led Peter into the lift quickly before anyone could see his kid in such a vulnerable state. As soon as the doors shut, Peter’s entire frame starts to shake, and Tony has to tighten his grip so he doesn’t fall to the floor. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” The kid cries, clutching onto Tony’s shirt. 

“No, Peter. I’m sorry. I should have seen it sooner. I should have..I don’t know, but I should have done  _ something _ .” Tony only realizes he’s crying when his voice cracks at the end of his sentence. 

“You couldn’t have known.” Peter sniffles, pulling back to look at Tony. “It wasn’t your fault. I kept it a secret. If I had just told you, this wouldn’t have happened.” 

“This isn’t your fault either, kid.” Tony wipes a thumb across Peter’s cheek to catch the falling tears, trying to decide if he should ask his next question or not.

The elevator doors opening, make that choice for Tony. He’ll save it for later. Right now he has to get Peter checked out. Dr. Cho, the angel that she is, was already waiting in the MedBay. How she knew to be there, Tony isn’t 100 percent sure. Probably FRIDAY, but like he said, the woman is a literal angel and she probably has a sixth sense for it that warns her whenever someone needs medical attention. 

Carefully, Tony lifts Peter onto the exam table, making sure to keep a hand on Peter’s shoulder when he steps away. “Hi, Peter” Dr. Cho greets with a sad, but bright smile. “I was getting worried when more than a week has gone by without seeing you here. Part of me was wondering if maybe you had started to get more careful or something crazy like that.” 

Peter grinned at her comment - an action that seemed so wrong for the circumstances, but Tony wouldn’t complain. A smiling Peter is a million times better than a sad one. “I would never do such a thing.” Peter joked. 

“Well I sure hope not.” The doctor countered, gathering the medical supplies she’d need.for this exam. “I don’t know what I would do without my favorite frequent flyer. Nobody else can drive everyone so crazy while being the cutest thing on this planet.” 

Setting down her supplies, Dr. Cho pulls up a form on her laptop, turning back to Peter. “I am really sorry I have to do this, but it’s state law.” She warns, causing Tony and Peter to look at her with wide eyes, before looking at each other with the same wide, confused, and anxious eyes. “Oh it’s nothing bad. There’s no need to look like that. I just have to ask you about your encounter with Mr. Westcott. Are you okay to do that now?”

‘Yeah.” Peter was still shaking, but the sooner this was all over, the sooner he could move on with his life.

Answering the required questions was, for the most part, simple. The majority of questions were yes or no, so Peter only had to nod or shake his head in response. The hard part came when Peter had to explain, in as much detail as he could, what exactly Skip would do to him. And fucking damn it, Tony was rethinking letting Skip live after hearing that this is not the first time the man has raped his kid.

Then there were the pictures. As part of gathering evidence, Dr. Cho had to photograph the bruises and scratches that Skip left all over Peter’s body. Tony was planning on leaving to give Peter privacy, but the kid wouldn’t release his hand. “Please don’t leave.” Peter begged, eyes filling with tears at the thought of Tony leaving. 

An hour later, Tony and Peter were stepping off the elevator into the penthouse living room, both mentally and physically exhausted. Tony doesn’t think it’s really fair for him to be feeling so worn out, especially since Peter is the one who was actually raped, but he is completely wiped. He had never felt this tired before. Not even after Afghanistan. 

Tony was surprised when Peter came back into the living room after getting dressed. Surely the kid wanted to sleep, or shower, or...something. But Peter just sat there, waiting for Tony to join him. “Mr. Stark, I’m really sorry.” Peter said as soon as Tony sat down.

“I told you, kid. You don’t have anything to apologize for.” Tony pulled Peter closer to him, carding his fingers through the teenagers curls. “But I do have a question.” 

He waited for Peter to look at him, before continuing. “Why didn’t you tell anyone?” 

Peter looked down at his lap, pulling at a loose thread hanging from his hoodie. “I didn’t think you would believe me.” He admitted quietly. 

“Why would you think that?” Tony pressed, even though he wasn’t sure he wanted to hear the answer. He just knew that whatever reason Peter has, was his fault. 

“The other week, after you first met Skip, and I walked away from him, you told me that I had lied to the team about having a panic attack. And if you didn’t believe me then, why would you believe me now?” Peter curled in closer to Tony’s side, afraid of seeing his mentor’s reaction. 

“Fuck, Pete.” Tony knew he had screwed up when he said that to the kid. He just didn’t know how badly he had messed up. If he hadn’t called the kid a liar, then maybe he could have stopped all of this from happening. Damn it. “I am so sorry I made you feel like you couldn’t come to me. I was mad when I said that. And I know that isn’t a good enough reason, but I need you to know that I didn’t mean it. You can always come to me kid, and I will always believe you.” 

“Oh.” Peter answered, his voice tight with the fresh wave of tears stinging his eyes. “I’m sorry.” 

“I’m going to ban that word.” Tony threatened halfheartedly, pressing a kiss to the top of Peter’s head.

“You always say that.” Peter yawned. 

“Because you always apologize.” Tony pointed out, readjusting Peter so his head was laying on his lap.

“Mr. Stark?” Peter said after a few seconds of silence, his voice drowsy as he was pulled closer to sleep. “Thank you for saving me.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, I know I never let Skip die in my stories. Not because I don't want him to, but because I know Peter Parker wouldn't want him to. I just feel like killing Skip would only cause more problems. 
> 
> Thanks again for reading!


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